Bunt training apparatus

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a bunt training apparatus that can be attached to a regular bat. The bunt training apparatus comprises a ball contacting portion with an increased ball-hitting area and a connecting unit that attaches the rear portion of the ball contacting portion. The ball contacting portion may be made by wood or other materials, may have different shapes, colors, modifications and decorations, and may have a through hole. The connecting unit may comprise one or more than one belts or other applicable structures. The bat may be a conventional or special one, for baseball, softball, or other applicable sport activities, and may be continuously used after removing the bunt training apparatus. A bat equipped with the bunt training apparatus of the present invention helps beginner players improve their bunting skills of beginner players by increasing the ball-hitting areas.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a bunt training apparatus, more particularly to a bunt training apparatus that is attached to a bat without damaging the bat for baseball or similar sports to enhance the hitting skill.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Youths as well as adults are encouraged to participate in sport activities including baseball and softball. As two of the most popular competitive sports in the United States, baseball and softball are often placed on the top of the list of the mostly selected sports. However, it is challenging for a beginner player to acquire essential skills for performing well in these sport activities, especially the skills for successfully bunting a ball. The commonly used conventional bat usually includes a round handle member, and a moderately enlarged round front portion which is used for bunting the ball. As the size of the front portion of a bat for hitting the ball is relatively small it may take long time of practice for a person to develop and sharpen such skills. Bunting with such a conventional bat would be extremely difficult for a beginner player; thus the initial stage of that training is usually hard for a beginner player as if a beginner player fails to achieve a desired level of progress during the early stages of training, frustration may be generated and such frustration may negatively affect their enthusiasm to continue in pursuing the sport activity.

Thus, it would be extremely beneficial to promote the progress of beginner players for their continuous participation by making their initial training stage easier. One feasible approach is to provide the beginner players properly modified practice bats which are intended to speed up the improvement of their bunting skills. There have been multiple attempts to modify the bat from different perspectives as described in granted patents including the practice baseball bat claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,565,462, the practice sleeve and ball claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,324, the practice bat and method claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,923,738, the practice bat system claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,935,008, the bunting training aid claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,066,590, the batting practice attachment foe baseball bats claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,325, the system for picking up, tossing, and striking a ball claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,935,009, the swing training device claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,985,147, and the bunting practice bat claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,277,341. Such attempts have also been shown in published patent applications including the practice bat described in U.S. Patent Application U.S. 20090191986, the training bat to develop proper hand positioning described in U.S. Patent Application 20090325736, and the batting training aid described in U.S. Patent Application U.S. 20090325737.

However, the above-mentioned improvements to the bat system either do not effectively improve or promote the bunting skills of beginner players. Also, it requires the manufacturing of bat equipment only for certain specific purposes. Although some of the previously mentioned practice bats do improve the bunting skills for players with certain experience of training, they do carry features to help beginner players. In addition, these previously mentioned practice bats requires to be manufactured especially for only training purposes, which therefore incur high cost as these practice bats may not be used by the beginner players after a certain period of training. Furthermore, as players have to practice with a specially made practice bat only for training purposes and replace it with a regular bat at a later time, such a change may act as a negative factor in the improvement of their bunting skills. Therefore, there remains a need for a new and improved batting aid apparatus to overcome the problems stated above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

With the problems and disadvantages of the conventional training bat, the present invention was conceived and the first major objective is to develop a new and improved bunt training apparatus which helps a beginner player to enhance the batting skill, especially bunting skill.

It is another objective of the present invention to provide a bunt training apparatus so that the first major objective can be achieved in an economical way, without incurring extensive cost.

The bunt training apparatus of the present invention may include an oval-shaped ball contacting portion having an increased area to hit the ball, which effectively increases the chance for a beginner player to hit the ball. In addition, there may be a through hole in the center of the oval shaped plate, which can be overlapped with the sweet spot of the conventional bat. The position of the through hole may be determined based on the structure of the conventional bat, thus the bunt training apparatus may be properly positioned accordingly. It is important to note that the ball contacting portion may be oval or other applicable shape including and not limited to round, square, and rectangular. In addition, the ball contacting portion may be made of wood or other materials suitable for effectively hitting the ball at a desired speed relative to the original speed of the ball, and the thickness of the ball contacting portion may thus be adjusted accordingly, thereby the installation of the bunt training apparatus will not add excessive weight to the conventional bat. Furthermore, the ball contacting portion as well as an edge of the ball contacting portion may have certain colors, modifications or decorations for improved visual effect. Furthermore, instead of have the through hole, the ball contacting portion of another embodiment may have a complete surface without the presence of the hole in the ball contacting portion of the exemplary embodiment. In a further embodiment, the ball contacting portion of another embodiment may have hole or holes of different applicable shape.

The rear side of the bunt training apparatus of the present invention may include the connecting unit that is fixed to the rear portion of the ball contacting portion of the bunt training apparatus to secure the ball contacting g portion to the front portion of the conventional bat. In one embodiment, the connecting units can be belt-like structure. In another embodiment, the connecting unit can be clipping structures.

Installation of the bunt training apparatus to the conventional bat is fairly simple. In one embodiment, the elastic belt-like structure of the connecting unit may be stretched manually or with the assistance of other applicable equipment, thereby allowing the front portion of the conventional bat to be inserted therein, and adjusting the ball contacting portion and the through hole according to the bat structure as stated above. For other embodiments of the bunt training apparatus that do not have through hole in the ball contacting portion, the ball contacting portion can be properly positioned to a location that is ideal for ball hitting.

the bunt training apparatus can be easily removed from the conventional bat by stretching the connecting unit, and the front portion of the conventional bat can be detached from the bunt training apparatus. This the bunt training apparatus may be removed after the player has been trained with the bunt training apparatus for a certain period of time, and the beginner player has acquired certain knowledge and experience, and is ready for further training at an increased level of difficulty. In addition, the materials used for the connecting unit do not cause damage to the conventional bat.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the bunt training apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the bunt training apparatus of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The detailed description set forth below is intended as a description of the presently exemplary device provided in accordance with aspects of the present invention and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the present invention may be prepared or utilized. It is to be understood, rather, that the same or equivalent functions and components may be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although any methods, devices and materials similar or equivalent to those described can be used in the practice or testing of the invention, the exemplary methods, devices and materials are now described.

All publications mentioned are incorporated by reference for the purpose of describing and disclosing, for example, the designs and methodologies that are described in the publications that might be used in connection with the presently described invention. The publications listed or discussed above, below and throughout the text are provided solely for their disclosure prior to the filing date of the present application. Nothing herein is to be construed as an admission that the inventors are not entitled to antedate such disclosure by virtue of prior invention.

The structural characteristics and the method of use of the bunt training apparatus of the present invention are described in detail as following. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a practice bat may include a conventional bat 10 and a bunt training apparatus 20 that is installed to the conventional baseball bat 10. The conventional bat 10 has a handle portion 11 and a front portion 12, with one specific position of the front portion 12 considered as the ideal place for hitting the ball, known as a sweet spot 13. The bunt training apparatus 20, which comprises a ball contacting portion 21 and a connecting unit 24, is attached to the front portion 12 of the conventional bat 10 via the connecting unit 24, preferably to the position of the sweet spot 13. The conventional bat 10 is readily available in the market, is for regular training or playing purpose, and does not require further modification for installing the bunt training apparatus 20 of the present invention.

In an exemplary embodiment, the bunt training apparatus 20 of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, may include an oval-shaped ball contacting portion 21 having an increased area to hit a ball 30, which effectively increases the chance for a beginner player to hit the ball 30. In addition, there may be a through hole 23 in the center of the oval shaped plate 21, which can be overlapped with the sweet spot 13 of the conventional bat 10. The position of the through hole 23 may be determined based on the structure of the conventional bat, thus the bunt training apparatus 20 may be properly positioned accordingly. It is important to note that the ball contacting portion 21 may be oval or other applicable shape including and not limited to round, square, and rectangular. In addition, the ball contacting portion 21 may be made of wood or other materials suitable for effectively hitting the ball 30 at a desired speed relative to the original speed of the ball 30, and the thickness of the ball contacting portion 21 may thus be adjusted accordingly, thereby the installation of the bunt training apparatus will not add excessive weight to the conventional bat 10. Furthermore, the ball contacting portion 21 as well as an edge 22 of the ball contacting portion 21 may have certain colors, modifications or decorations for improved visual effect. Furthermore, instead of have the through hole 23, the ball contacting portion 21 of another embodiment may have a complete surface without the presence of the hole 23 in the ball contacting portion 21 of the exemplary embodiment as shown in FIG. 1. In a further embodiment, the ball contacting portion 21 of another embodiment may have hole or holes of different applicable shape.

The rear side of the bunt training apparatus 20 of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, comprises the connecting unit 24 that is fixed to the rear portion of the ball contacting portion 21 of the bunt training apparatus 20 to secure the ball contacting portion 21 to the front portion 12 of the conventional bat 10. In one embodiment, the connecting units 24 can be belt-like structure shown in FIG. 2. In another embodiment, the connecting unit 24 can be clipping structures. In addition, the connecting unit 24 may be made by various materials, such as an elastic material or other applicable materials for the belt structures shown in the exemplary embodiment. Furthermore, it is important to note that the materials used for attaching the ball contacting portion 21 to the front portion 12 of the conventional bat 10 may not cause damage to the conventional bat 10, so the conventional bat 10 can still be used after the removal of the bunt training apparatus 20, and the beginner player may continue to use the bat that he/she is familiar with to enhance his/her batting skill without using a new bat.

Installation of the bunt training apparatus 20 to the conventional bat 10 is fairly simple. In one embodiment, the elastic belt-like structure of the connecting unit 24 may be stretched manually or with the assistance of other applicable equipment, thereby allowing the front portion 12 of the conventional bat 10 to be inserted therein, and adjusting the ball contacting portion 21 and the through hole 23 according to the bat structure as stated above. For other embodiments of the bunt training apparatus 20 that do not have through hole 23 in the ball contacting portion 21, the ball contacting portion 21 can be properly positioned to a location that is ideal for ball hitting. The installation step is simple, allowing the bunt training apparatus 20 of the present invention to be conveniently applied.

Referring again to the FIGS. 1 and 2, the bunt training apparatus 20 can be easily removed from the conventional bat 10 by stretching the connecting unit 24, and the front portion 12 of the conventional bat 10 can be detached from the bunt training apparatus 20. This bunt training apparatus 20 may be removed after the player has been trained with the bunt training apparatus 20 for a certain period of time, and the beginner player has acquired certain knowledge and experience, and is ready for further training at an increased level of difficulty. In addition, as the materials used for the connecting unit 24 do not cause damage to the conventional bat 10, the conventional bat 10 can be continuously used for regular training or playing purpose by the same player. This is beneficial for the player as he/she does not have to change to a different bat.

As previously described, the bunt training apparatus 20 can be applied to a conventional bat 10 that is readily available in the market for baseball or softball. In addition, the shape, structural and visual design of the bunt training apparatus 20 may be slightly modified accordingly for different types of bats, if necessary, thereby allowing it be installed to other specialized practice bat systems prepared for special purposes, including but not limited to those previously mentioned practice bats. Furthermore, the bunt training apparatus 20 of the present invention may also be installed to bats for other applicable sport activities with certain necessary modifications. Therefore, the simple structure and the convenient installation/uninstallation processes of the bunt training apparatus 20 of the present invention thus allow it to be widely used for different types of bats and for bats of various sport activities.

Having described the invention by the description and illustrations above, it should be understood that these are exemplary of the invention and are not to be considered as limiting. Accordingly, the invention is not to be considered as limited by the foregoing description, but includes any equivalents. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A bunt training apparatus comprising: a ball contacting portion having an increased area for ball hitting, and a connecting unit attached to a rear portion of the ball contacting portion, wherein said bunt training apparatus is configured to attached to a bat with said ball contacting portion facing a coming ball.
 2. The bunt training apparatus of the claim 1, wherein said ball contacting portion is of oval, round, square, or other applicable shape.
 3. The bunt training apparatus of the claim 1, wherein said ball contacting portion is made by wood, aluminum, or other applicable materials.
 4. The bunt training apparatus of the claim 1, wherein said ball contacting portion has a through hole that is configured to align with a predetermined portion of the bat.
 5. The bunt training apparatus of the claim 1, wherein said connecting unit comprises one or more belt-like or other applicable structures.
 6. The bunt training apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bunt training apparatus is configured to be removed from the bat without damaging the bat.
 7. A bunting practice system comprising: a bat with a ball-hitting end and a holding end; and a detachable bunt training unit, wherein the bunt training unit includes a ball contacting portion having an increased area for ball hitting and a connecting unit at located a rear portion of the ball contacting portion and used to engage the bunt training unit to the bat.
 8. The bunting practice system of claim 7, wherein the bunt training unit engages with the bat at nearly the ball-hitting end of the bat.
 9. The bunting practice system of claim 7, wherein the ball contacting portion is facing an incoming ball.
 10. The bunting practice system of claim 7, wherein said ball contacting portion is of oval, round, square, or other applicable shape.
 11. The bunting practice system of claim 7, wherein said ball contacting portion has a through hole that is configured to align with a predetermined portion of the bat.
 12. The bunting practice system of claim 7, wherein said connecting unit comprises one or more belt-like or other applicable structures.
 13. The bunting practice system of claim 7, wherein said bunt training unit is configured to be removed from the bat without damaging the bat. 